One of the strategies that's worked for me over time has been to be patient at times and figure out when does my opponent run out of paint and needs to reload. Then you can charge at him while he is in the mids of it and deal done. ofcaose you would have to work on your timing and be aware of your surroundings so you are not hit by any surprises on your way there.

Step 1: Actually get in the snake. Some fields you may go directly there off the break some fields you may go to an insert off the break and bump later on. Just make sure you watch down field so you can have an idea on where the paint is coming from and where the other team is going.

Step 2: Shoot inside. This is where all your shots are going to be. pretty simple.

Step 3: Move up. Then repeat step 2. You'll need to trust your corner and really work with him to get this done.

Now I admit, this isn't a very good "guide" but this is really the bare bones to snake there are a ton of videos on playing the snake online with good tips.

One mistake new snake players tend to make is getting in and panicking. There's paint whizzing over your head and your adrenaline is pumping and you pop up and get your head blown off. When you get in keep your head down for a second and LISTEN. Figure out where the paint is coming from and listen to your team so you have an idea where the are before you pop up.

I'm sure you'll have at least one practice before the tournament so just practice getting in there and staying alive, the kills come naturally after that.

One more thing: Good luck! You're always nervous your first tournament it's only natural. Just stay smart and have fun.

Playing snake is a CRUCIAL position. You need to always have a backer and you guys are a pair of wonder twins, or at least try to be. You 2 should think the same thing and fully be aware of one another, make sure you communicate with him/her nonstop and do not get scared in snake. The biggest mistake I see in snake is people hesitating.

playing snake your first time will be pretty difficult. its going to be near impossible if you dont have someone in your corner who can back you up effectively.
you should have one of your teammates get in a position where they can shoot at/down the tape. that way you can concentrate on shooting people out in the center of the field, while your corner prevents someone from running you down/or making moves up the snake.

i play snake corner quite a bit and try to feed my snake guys as much information as possible. they enjoy being able to keep their head down when they need to and like being updated with wtf is going on. communication is key.
Talk to your corner guy. when im playing behind someone i even try to couch them when i can and let them know when they can make bumps or play wide in order to get a kill.

Communication with your snake corner is key. Listen for your other teammates yelling out positions, as it is unlikely that you're snake corner can see any of your potential kills. Do not panic, ever, and don't be afraid to back up or push up to get angles. When in snake, that snake corner better be talking, with all the paint whizzing at mainly you, you need to know what the fuck is going on. I wouldn't recommend the head popping much, because that just gets you out. You might as well get the whole gun and such out so you can get a shot out, especially if they are not aware you are popping up. Use those knuckles to get out lanes towards the inside as much as possible. Remember, tape and inside should be your only priorities. Yell a ton, since you might have the best shots/sight of exactly where they are, but I would keep it to a minimal amount, especially in comparison to your mid players.

If your able to get in snake off the break, once you get in shoot inside and dont worry about the tape because if your mirror in snake is shooting tape hes just wasting paint if your not even bothering to pop out tape side. Later on you can focus tape but the most important thing is to shoot inside

Don't get butthurt over what goes on in game, it's just business. Don't get fustrated if the day is going bad, just keep trying to make it work. Don't let a better team intimidate you, just try to take it to them. If there is a little kid or newbies out there who are in over their head take it easy on them.

Make sure you are completely comfortable with everything. If you're head isn't in the right place you won't be playing well. I played my first tournament in completely new position. Back corner. Never played there. I had 8 pods in my pack and I never had played with that much weight on me. Plus my team didn't think my spoolie would have high enough air efficiency. So they gave me a gun I had never used before. It was not a good time. Played terrible. I was overwhelmed and ended ruining the tourny for the team. I felt bad. I quit the team the second practice after that. It was no bueno